There Is Only Darkness Ahead
by Aunt Kathy
Summary: AU. Follows on from the events of 'Hope and Fear' in Season Four as the crew slowly prepares themselves for the two years in the Void.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing. REALLY wish I owned the original idea for Janeway though (sigh...)

A/N: I'm going to be using the time weeks and months in this fic- the Stardate converter never fails to confuse me (which is quite an easy feat). The idea behind the spacing in time is that this fic fits in the gap between the airing of 'Hope and Fear' and 'Night', although it takes place in an alternate universe where the events of the episode 'Night' took place months later.

Thank yous:  
Firstly, to all of you who reviewed my original version of 'There is Only Darkness Within', those reviews are the reason I'm going to be giving you guys an ending.  
Secondly, to the writers of 'Night', because it is an all-time favorite of mine.  
Thirdly to my beta, who was the main reason I continued this story.

* * *

**June 2374**

It had been two weeks since the _Voyager_ crew had run into the alien known as Arturis, and Commander Chakotay was glad to notice that crew morale, although initially shaken after another possible shortcut home was snatched away, had almost completely recovered.

_Neelix would most likely give the credit to his suggestion of increased R and R for the crew_, thought _Voyager_'s first officer as he headed along the corridor that led away from his quarters. But I know for a fact that it was Kathryn who suggested a little 'down time' for the crew with the absence of a near-by M-class planet suitable for shore leave.

"Deck One, Bridge," he commanded as he stepped into the turbolift and the doors slid shut behind him. All in all, things had been looking up recently.

Chakotay stepped out onto the bridge and took his seat. He was glad to see that Kathryn had been increasingly present on the bridge over the past few weeks, something that he attributed to the ongoing efforts of Harry, B'Elanna and Seven to look for a stable form of slipstream drive.

"Good morning, Captain."

"Commander," she muttered in reply, briefly inclining her head in his general direction before looking back towards the PADD she was holding.

Chakotay observed an increased furrowing between her brows and the formation of a slight crinkle on the bridge of her nose as she scrolled down the information on the PADD. He had come to associate this particular expression of hers with deep concentration, and he instantly knew what the small device contained.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"Not yet, but I'm still hopeful. We are finding ways of reducing the rate of quantum fluctuations, but," she paused to look at him and sigh quietly, "it's a process. And we keep encountering walls when it comes to adapting the drive to be compatible with _Voyager'_s systems."

He pursed his lips slightly, not quite knowing whether her sigh was one of exhaustion or frustration. "Well, they do say that 'slow and steady wins the race,' Captain."

"Maybe," she replied, turning her head to look at the vast expanse that lay before them on the view screen. "But that will be a lot easier to believe on the other side of the finish line."

_"Seven of Nine to Janeway."_

"Janeway here."

_"Please report to Astrometrics. There is…a matter that I feel requires your attention."_

"On my way," said Janeway before the comm link was cut. "I wonder what she wants."

She stood and turned to frown at Chakotay. "You have the bridge, Commander."

"Aye, Captain."

* * *

"Morning, Seven," mumbled the captain as she walked into Astrometrics.

Seven did not greet her. She did not even turn around, and Janeway knew immediately that something wasn't right. Janeway watched as the ex-drone's hands moved over the controls. Hastily, as if they were unsure of something. She looked back up at the young woman's face and saw what could be interpreted as-

_What? Discomfort? No… apprehension._

"What's on your mind, Seven?" Janeway asked, walking over to her and placing one hand on the edge of Seven's console. Suddenly, the screen in front of them went blank, and both stared at it for a moment.

"What's happened?" The captain's immediate conclusion was that the Astrometrics equipment had failed.

"Nothing, Captain," replied Seven of Nine, although she was less collected than usual.

There was a pause as Janeway looked at Seven, who refused to meet her gaze.

"This is a region of space that _Voyager_ will need to cross in approximately two months."

Captain Kathryn Janeway looked back towards the screen- there was nothing on it. Only the darkness.

"How long will it take to cross?"

"Between ten and fifteen months."

_A whole year of…nothing. Of emptiness. _Her mind began to flood with potential solutions.

"Can we go around it?" she asked, although part of her already knew what Seven's answer would be.

"Inadviasble. Any course to bypassing this region of space would add a minimum of six years to our journey."

_Six years? Another six years further from Earth. Six years during which they could be attacked and destroyed. During which the crew would be subjected to an untold number of dangerous situations. _In comparison, what would essentially be a year's worth of plain sailing seemed almost enticing- almost.

Janeway pursed her lips and removed her hand from the console. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Seven. I have a feeling it'll be our main focus at the next senior staff meeting. May I also suggest that you begin searching for planets suitable for both shore leave and obtaining supplies? We'll be needing plenty of both before we enter into this… void."

"Yes, Captain."

And with that, Janeway turned on her heel and left Astrometrics, all previous thoughts of quantum fluctuations forgotten.

* * *

The briefing was going relatively smoothly, and Captain Janeway was pleased to hear that there were three planets they would encounter over the next few months that could offer supplies, two of which would also make seemingly excellent shore leave destinations.

She was also pleased to see that her staff seemed to be meeting this challenge head on. But then, had she been expecting anything other than cool professionalism?

_No, Kathryn. You hadn't_. It was a credit to how much they had changed over the past four years.

There was a natural lull in the conversation on gathering supplies, and she took the chance to interject with the other issue- that of crew morale.

"Neelix. I believe that we will need your unique… expertise with this scenario. Undoubtedly there will be some peaks and troughs in the optimism that this crew exhibits over the coming year and I would like you to be prepared for every eventuality regarding the issue."

Neelix nodded curtly, something which Janeway was grateful for- she didn't want anything else to add to the headache she'd been nursing over the past few hours. She then turned to her Ops officer.

"Harry, I would also like you and Tom to look into ways of increasing holodeck rations and creating new programs for the crew as well as expanding some of those we already have. I have no doubt that they'll be invaluable in maintaining the morale that Neelix will boost while were are in the void."

What had started out as a simple description of the empty expanse that awaited them had quickly turned into the nickname for the empty region of space.

Harry and Tom both said, "Aye, Captain." at the same time.

"All right then. Assuming there are no further matters which we need to discuss," Janeway paused and looked at each of her staff in turn, "you're all dismissed."

And with that the meeting dissipated. The captain stood and turned to the viewport behind her, picking up her cup of lukewarm coffee as she went.

The others all began to filter out of the briefing room- all that is, except for one.

Chakotay hesitated at the door and glanced at the small figure of Kathryn Janeway behind him, waiting for the correct words to present themselves to him.

"What is it, Commander?" Janeway asked plainly, her gaze still fixed on the stars outside.

Chakotay walked back to the captain and stood beside her. "There's something on your mind, Kathryn."

Janeway pursed her lips at his use of her given name but still did not turn to face him. Instead, her gaze lowered to her coffee, and he saw her attempt to remove any outward show of emotion. Only once she was sure nothing in her expression would give away what she was experiencing did she meet his gaze.

As always, she was mesmerized by the kindness in his eyes. The latent affection he felt towards her. And, as always, she ignored it and pressed on, remaining professional.

"It's just a slight headache, Commander. Nothing I can't handle." Chakotay tried not to flinch as she used his rank, but he could see that she was in no mood for a conversation about whatever was the matter.

_But when is she?_

"Understood," he replied and turned once again to leave the room. She took a mouthful of coffee and returned her attention to the streaking stars outside.

He knew he would have to be satisfied with her answer, for now. But he decided to remain vigilant of any change in her mood.

As he approached the door, he glanced around for a second time, despite the fact he didn't have to. He knew she would be standing stock still, one hand on her coffee and the other on her hip. He was not surprised when he saw that his prediction had been correct. Ever the professional. But he glanced all the same. He couldn't help himself.


	2. Chapter 2

For disclaimers and Author's Notes, see Chapter 1.

Enjoy. :)

* * *

June 29th 2374-

_Another week, another briefing. _Janeway squared her shoulders as her senior staff began to file into the room and take their seats. They looked much the same as they had the week before, but the captain noted a somewhat muted mood in the room. The news of the void hadn't been taken as badly as she had feared, but that didn't mean that she wasn't concerned about it. Part of her wanted to believe that the reaction to the news was passed, but the more cynical part of her knew it was possible the news hadn't quite sunken in yet.

"Good morning, everyone." There was a low hum of greetings in return, and Janeway waited for the noise to fade to silence again before continuing. "Thank you for coming to this meeting a couple of days early; I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused. I will expect departmental reports to be handed to me by the end of today as usual, as this is only to be a short meeting. I wanted to make sure that you were kept informed of our preparations for our time in the void as soon as possible, and with that in mind we are here to discuss our options." Janeway paused and turned to look at the former Borg drone. "Seven assures me that she has been able to find three planets on our current course that would be suitable for shore leave." Janeway nodded in the younger woman's direction to signal that Seven could fill everyone else in on her findings.

"Indeed, Captain. All three of the planets can be reached without adding a significant amount of time to our journey towards the Alpha Quadrant." Seven stood and walked over to the screen, where she tapped the console and images of all three planets appeared for the senior staff to see. "Although only one out of the three is unpopulated, there are numerous opportunities to replenish supplies on all the planets, although on the two populated planets, trade would be advisable. The species on both have been warp-capable for a matter of centuries. Foodstuffs can be sourced on all three planets. However, dilithium ore is only to be found on the second planet we encounter. Trade with that species will be a necessity."

Seven brushed her fingers over the second planet on the screen, and the image enlarged, giving the senior staff a view of a planet the surface of which seemed almost entirely covered by grey land. They grey of the surface was partially obscured by lilac-colored clouds.

"The civilization we will encounter on the second planet is known to the Borg as Species 1129 and call themselves the Jaevin. They are a highly traditional race, with the emphasis being on conservative behavior at all times:similar to Vulcans, but without the suppression of emotion."

"I have heard of the Jaevin, Captain," interjected Neelix. All heads turned to him as he began to elaborate. "A relatively conservative people, they keep to themselves, but have been known to be reasonable when trading with other cultures or the odd traveler. Seven, if I might ask, what is the other populated planet called?"

"Krella. Inhabited by Species 1184." The planet that appeared seemed far more like Earth, and Janeway's throat constricted slightly as she tried hard not to think of home.

"Ah, I have dealt with Krellans before." Neelix piped up again just as Seven opened her mouth to continue with her report. "A generous type of people, they would most likely be happy to trade with us. However, for substances like dilithium the Jaevin would be better to trade with, as the Krellan homeworld does not have a natural source of dilithium ore. They have to travel for a few weeks in order to source it from a neighboring system."

"Thank you, Neelix. I would like you and Seven to pool your knowledge of both the Jaevin and the Krellans so that we can be as prepared as possible for trading with either species." They nodded towards their commanding officer Seven deactivated the screen.

"B'Elanna, I trust all is well in Engineering at the moment."

"All systems are running perfectly, Captain." B'Elanna shrugged slightly. She was mid-way through drawing up a list of all the re-fittings she would have to complete before entering the void, but the captain would receive that tomorrow when her weekly report was completed. "No problems to speak of."

"I'm glad to hear it. Tom, Harry."

The two young men sat a little straighter as their names were called.

"Have the two of you made any progress yet with the new holoprograms?"

"Yes, Captain," began Tom. "I have expanded the parameters of Sandrine's, because that's a program that most of the crew are familiar with and have enjoyed in the past. I'm currently working on a few amateur holonovels that could be used, as well as collaborating with Harry on two larger programs, one of which is set on Earth, the other of which is set on Risa."

"The pleasure planet? A good idea, Lieutenant. I have a feeling that anything you come up with now will be much appreciated later."

There was a pause in the room, during which Janeway searched the faces of her senior staff for any sign of a query, and, finding none, she asked, "If that's all?"

"Actually, Captain, there is one thing." Janeway turned to the Doctor as he leaned forwards slightly. "I have been researching ways in which we could make this trip less straining on the crew- both physically and mentally."

"What have you found, Doctor?"

"The option of placing the whole crew in stasis occurred to me, much as we did a few months ago while crossing the Mutara nebula. However, I fear that prolonged stasis for more than a few months would be impossible to sustain. The power drain on the ship's systems would mean that stasis units would begin to fail after approximately fifteen weeks."

"Thank you for looking into the option, Doctor. I must admit that it was one I didn't consider at first. As much as I would prefer to be able to put the crew in stasis for even a couple of months, the energy and supplies required obviously discount it as an option." She looked around the table again but was met with the same reception as before. "Dismissed."

One by one the senior staff filtered out of the briefing room, watched by Janeway as they went. Chakotay didn't look back this time.

* * *

_Kathryn Janeway's Personal Log:_

_I would be lying if I said that I was not concerned. I am._

_I am concerned for my crew: how will they fare with almost two years of empty space ahead of them? From the point of view of a strategist, taking the route through the void makes the most sense. The crew would be out of danger, and trying to circumnavigate the empty expanse would simply add to our long journey. We may be closer to home than I had ever hoped we would be by this point, but that doesn't mean that I am prepared to add to our stay in the Delta Quadrant._

_There are foreseeable problems that we may encounter with our supplies and the ship's systems; our predictions as to the amount of supplies we take could be wrong, or we could experience a technical problem that we would be unable to resolve without additional help. If we suffered a warp core malfunction or, God forbid, a breach, while traveling though the void, we would have no choice but to strand ourselves further by ejecting the core._

_But those are only the issues that we can prepare for. Because those are the issues that we know are a possibility. The unknown issues are what trouble me even more as we draw ever closer to our time in the void._

_I am worried about how the stress of constant nothingness will manifest itself within the crew, what the effects of such a noneventful time period will be on each individual. I imagine that it will be similar to early space flight, in which there was little to offer in the way of distraction or entertainment for the crew. But those astronauts were trained for extended missions of that nature, and had many more utilitarian tasks related to survival in space to keep them occupied. My crew are not trained for this sort of eventuality, and many of the routine tasks early astronauts had to contend with have long since been automated into the ship's systems. Commander Chakotay, the Doctor and myself are aware that there may be unexpected effects of such a lengthy period of boredom. _

_This is an unusual case in which the ship will most likely be fine, but the crew may not. How many times has this crew pulled together against a confrontation with another ship? How many times have we been lucky enough to come out of such a situation with the hull intact? To escape without any casualties?_

_Too many. Far too many._

_But we will just have to take it one day at a time. That is the only way to get through this. It is the only way we will get through this._

* * *

Hope you guys are enjoying this fic so far, feel free to tell me what you thought. AK :)


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